Dressed in traditional attire — a long, loose-fitting white robe and matching headdress — the head of Sudan’s contested Sovereign Council and leader of last October’s military coup, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, appeared before national television cameras Feb. 12 for an interview to address the country’s current state of affairs.

In the final part of the interview, Burhan openly acknowledged and defended the existence of relations with Israel. The general admitted that relations with Tel Aviv are a sensitive issue in his country. But he confirmed that there is security cooperation between the two parties, and stressed its importance for the security of Sudan and the region, as well as for Khartoum’s integration into the international community.

He said that the exchange with Israel had made it possible to uncover the presence of terrorist groups in Sudan’s territory that endangered national and regional security. And although he did not offer details, the general noted that cooperation with Tel Aviv had enabled Sudanese authorities to make some arrests. The interview was aired only a few days after the latest report about a visit by a Sudanese delegation to Israel.

“We want to solve problems with dialogue and agreements, this is why cooperation, specifically cooperation on matters of defense and intelligence, hasn’t stopped. This is natural and legitimate, and it will help us maintain security in our country and the region,” Burhan stated, noting, that they “are not hiding it, and we have nothing to worry about.”